To boost business, harmony, traders push for resumption of Darbar move

Ahead of the government formation, the business community based in Jammu has demanded the resumption of Darbar move, a practice of seasonal shifting of secretariat between Srinagar and Jammu.

The practice was discontinued in 2021. Business and industry honchos in Jammu justified the demand saying the shifting of government to Jammu during the winter season not only used to bring customers to the local businesses, but also provided an opportunity for an interaction between the people of Kashmir and Jammu regions.

Addressing a rally in Udhampur during the Assembly elections, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah had promised that his party would resume the practice if voted to power.

Many other parties, including the NC, Congress, Apni Party and the PDP, too, had promised the resumption of the Darbar move. Even as the business community had openly spoken against the suspension of the practice by the L-G, the vote share of the BJP in Jammu swelled in the recently concluded elections.

Arun Gupta, president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the people of Jammu were expecting that the nearly 150-year-old practice would be resumed at the earliest so as to provide relief to the business community.

“The Darbar move was not only beneficial for the economy of Jammu, but also for brotherhood and communal harmony of J&K. People from Kashmir used to shift to Jammu and come to markets during winters where they interacted with the locals here. This cultural interaction was very important for promoting communal harmony of the erstwhile state,” said Gupta.

Dogra ruler Maharaja Ranbir Singh had started the practice of Darbar move in the 1870s to escape the biting cold of Kashmir during winters and the heat of Jammu during the summers.

The suspension of the Darbar move had become a major political issue during the Assembly polls with Kashmir based parties promising to resume the practice.

Virender Kumar, a hardware shop owner in Last Morh, Jammu, said many people from Kashmir having houses in Jammu used to purchase material from his shop during the winter season. “After the practice was discontinued, Kashmir-based employees do not come here for longer duration and their houses are mostly locked. We are thus losing out on business,” he said.